Second bore under UPRR tracks reaches Northpark receiving pit.

Major Northpark Milestone: Bore Under Tracks Completed

10/18/2025 – Yesterday, on 10/17/2025, the Northpark Expansion project reached a major milestone. Some might say the project cleared a major hurdle, except the hurdle is about 15 feet below the UnionPacific Railroad tracks.

Whatever you call it, the completion of the second bore under the railroad tracks caused jubilation among board members of the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority/TIRZ 10. Utility conflicts and buried debris delayed completion of the bores and forced construction crews to tackle other parts of the project out of sequence.

A collective sigh of relief could be heard … even through emails.

The twin bores will convey stormwater under the railroad tracks from the west side of Loop 494 to the east side, and from there to the Kingwood Diversion Ditch.

Path of drainage from entry ponds. Additional drainage from the businesses along Northpark will go through culverts under the street where the center ditch used to be.

The boring operation began in May 2025 after years of negotiation with the railroad. Crews had completed the first bore with little trouble, but then ran into a buried, out-of-place water line with the second bore that set them back months.

Next Major Steps

Crews must still place culverts under Northpark itself west of Loop 494 to get stormwater from the south side to the north side. Not necessarily in this order, they must also:

  • Complete new surface lanes on the south side of inbound Northpark
  • Finish driveways on the north side of outbound Northpark
  • Build junction boxes in the two bore pits
  • Work with UnionPacific as it rewires its signals for the new railroad crossing configuration
  • Clear “Ditch One” behind the businesses on the north side of Northpark
  • Pave the surface lanes that will go on either side of the bridge
  • Begin work on the foundation for the bridge and its abutments
  • Install permanent traffic lights at I-69
  • Finish paving Loop 494.

Photos Taken on 10/16-17/25

The photos below show progress made this week.

The yellow truck and crane in the center are demobilizing boring equipment.

This ten second video shows the augur breaking through into the receiving pit.

Video provided by Northpark project manager Ralph De Leon

Here’s how the two pits looked today.

(Looking E.) Crews have removed all equipment from the bore pit on the east side of the tracks.
In the receiving pit west of the tracks, you can now clearly see twin 5′ bores...all the way through.
When I visited the site, the bore contractors were already demobilizing their equipment.
After crews build junction boxes in the pits and connect the drainage under Loop 494, paving crews will be able to complete this last segment and eliminate backups like you see above (upper right).

Elsewhere along Northpark

Friday afternoon, crews were busy working from one end of the project to the other.

Looking W toward I-69 at top of frame. Inbound lanes on the left still need to be paved. The bridge will begin in the foreground where the outbound lanes bow to the right.
From opposite direction, looking E, outbound surface lanes will connect across the two bore pits to the lane already paved in front of the Shell Station (lower left).
That will straighten out a major kink in the traffic.
Closer to I-69, private contractors hired by the Exxon jobber, Honey Farms, are reworking the stations apron to make room for drainage, sidewalk, street and lighting improvements.

For More Information

Visit the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority website to see a discussion of the next steps and a 3-week lookahead schedule.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 10/18/25

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